CMS (or Content Management System) is a website management tool with publishing features and an administration interface. It is a family of software which allows the design and dynamic updating of websites, blogs, forums, or multimedia applications.
Ideally, a CMS must have a workflow system that allows a team of editors to work simultaneously on the editorial content of the wiki, blog, webpage, or forum. Articles and site content are usually stored in a database, while templates switch the layout of the content depending on the type of content.
Tip: Large news platforms like The Hindu use enterprise CMS systems to manage hundreds of editors, assign editorial permissions, and automate content approvals, helping them publish thousands of articles daily with quality control.
How it works
CMS consists of a set of files readable by a browser, usually written in PHP and a MySQL database containing all the information of the site. When a visitor requests the display of a page of the site, the web server, through script files, interrogates the database and displays the contents which match the query.
Tip: In a real-world ecommerce case study, Flipkart’s CMS uses distributed databases and caching systems so product pages load in under 2 seconds, directly impacting conversion rates and SEO rankings.
Features
All CMS share the following features:
They have a CMA (Content Management Application) element which allows the content manager or editor, who may not know hypertext markup language, to manage the creation, modification, and removal of content from a website without needing the expertise of a webmaster.
They have a CDA (Content Delivery Application) element which uses and compiles that information to update the website. The CMS fully automates the publishing of your website.
Tip: An NGO using Joomla automated content publishing and gained 5,000 organic visitors monthly because articles were updated faster, keeping content fresh for search engines.
Features of a great CMS solution:
CMS allows the administrator and/or trusted people to publish documents and articles on the website. It allows the administrator of a website to prioritize and assign roles and permissions (anonymous, user, administrator, contributor, moderator…).
Most CMS have an RSS feed automatically updated when publishing new articles.
Tip: RSS feeds helped TechCrunch syndicate their content across thousands of apps, accelerating their growth without paid marketing.
WYSIWYG editors let you add, edit, publish and modify the contents of your website without any knowledge of HTML.
The CMS should be flexible enough to accommodate your needs and requirements. Rather than following technology as a default setting, it should allow separation of design and content. Most CMS systems offer a template editor.
Tip: A fashion ecommerce brand used headless CMS to display different designs on app and website, improving user experience and increasing mobile sales by 35%.
Internal search by keyword on the entire contents.
An easy-to-use media, stylesheet, and article management.
Tip: A digital magazine reduced image upload time by 70% after switching to a CMS with a central media library, freeing designers to focus on quality instead of organization.
Popular CMS
What is WordPress?
WordPress CMS allows you to create and administrate blogs. Note that you can also create a forum with the plugin bbPress. WordPress is the largest self-hosted blogging tool in the world, used on hundreds of thousands of sites and seen by tens of millions of people every day.
Tip: Case Study — WP Beginner built their entire business using WordPress, and today earns millions through ads, affiliate programs, and digital products because of WordPress scalability.
What is Joomla!?
Joomla! is an award-winning Content Management System that helps you build websites and powerful online applications. Best of all, Joomla! is an open-source solution that is freely available to everybody.
Tip: The Harvard Graduate School of Arts uses Joomla for multi-language academic content because of its strong multilingual support and user roles.
What is Drupal?
Drupal is often one of the first choices when building a new website. Drupal can be scaled for personal blogs or enterprise mega-sites, and like WordPress, there are thousands of plugins that can be added.
Tip:The White House website was built on Drupal for years because of its strong security, fast performance, and government-level role permissions.
PHPBB
PHPBB is one of the oldest and most popular forum software which keeps pace with other forum platforms by releasing new versions. PhpBB supports almost all database management systems.
Tip: A gaming community created a 10,000-member discussion forum on PHPBB, driving traffic to their YouTube channel and increasing ad revenue by 40%.
Simple Machine
Simple Machines Software is a professional-grade solution offered for free. This CMS offers full flexibility for customizing the forum to your needs and requirements.
Tip: Photographers often use Simple Machines forums to build private premium communities, selling online courses and presets directly to members.
Expression Engine (aka EE)
ExpressionEngine is an elegant, flexible CMS solution for any type of project; blog, websites, and web applications. However, it is not a free CMS. Designed to be extensible and easy to modify, EE sets itself apart with a clean and intuitive administration area.
Bonus Tip: A design agency built over 150 custom client sites on Expression Engine, charging premium fees because clients valued its powerful user interface and security.
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